US and India Photos

Coming to America

Greetings family and friends! After nearly two years in India, the Davison family is headed home. Just before we left for the U.S. to renew our visas, Chris was offered the position of Global Manager Customer & Product Support for John Deere ISG in Urbandale, Iowa. Thus we started another confusing, crazy, exciting chapter in our lives. While in the U.S., Chris worked in Moline the first week of August, then we spent the weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks with our good friends the Longs. On Wednesday of the following week we met Chris’s mom and dad is Des Moines. While they entertained the kids, Chris and I went on a brief house hunting tour. In true form, we found a house and struck a deal in less than a week. We found a great house that was in foreclosure and feel that we got a good deal. On Thursday it was back to India, without the kids, to pack and say our goodbyes. Chris had a big meeting in Moline on September 1st, so we only had a week to tie up all loose ends. Through the jet lag, we attended several going away parties and survived many painful goodbyes. I had no idea how difficult it would be to leave. Uncharacteristically, I cried most of the way home. After arriving in Atlanta, Chris headed to Moline and I headed to Kansas City. I have never felt more loved than when Anna and Max came barreling at me at the airport. They were just what I needed to mend my aching heart. We spent the week playing and shopping and catching up with an old friend from college. Chris joined us on Thursday evening and we spent most of the weekend vehicle shopping. We finally closed a deal on a Dodge Grand Caravan Monday evening. Chris, Anna, Max and I took in the Pittsburg State football game on Saturday and got to visit with our dear friends from that area. We also took a quick trip to Emporia to visit great-grandpa Clark on Monday. Chris headed back to Des Moines on Tuesday and will return on Friday for the weekend. The past month has been such a whirlwind, our heads are still spinning. I promise to keep everyone posted on our comings and goings as soon as we get settled in Des Moines. We would love to see you if you are ever passing through. Please take care. We hope to hear from you soon!

June & July

Monsoon Season

Since we are just a few days from leaving for the U.S. to renew our Visas, I thought I’d better let you know what we’ve been up to for the last month. On Father’s Day we visited the future site of the “Davison House of Prayer” that our friends at Servant’s Heart International are building. We blessed the land, performed a ground-breaking ceremony, and celebrated our good friend Suresh’s birthday with a picnic lunch. It was a fantastic day full of hope and promise. We are continuously amazed with Preety and Suresh’s commitment to the kids in the Ram Tekadi area of Pune. The following Monday, Anna took Chris to her school for a special celebration. They ate snacks, made crafts, and sang songs. Afterwards, they enjoyed lunch together at McDonalds. On July 3rd, I went to Anna’s school to talk about our Independence Day traditions. The kids had a great time coloring fireworks pictures and singing patriotic songs. We celebrated the Fourth of July with a party at our friends Jason and Loveena’s house. It was almost like being home, except there were elephant rides and a tattoo artist for the kids. We also roasted marshmallows and made s’mores and watched fireworks. Last Saturday we went to lunch at one of Chris’s manager’s houses. Vidyadar’s family owns a printing press, so naturally Chris was enthralled. We had a fantastic lunch of butter chicken, chapatti, dal and rice. Anna got stung by two wasps about five minutes apart. She cried a bit, but made it through the rest of the day just fine. Chris was given a traditional Maharastrian hat and I was given a sari. After our visit, we stopped by our driver Kiran’s new flat. It is bright, cheery and spacious and he and his family are thrilled. Chris’s boss Tom was here last week, which is always busy. The monsoon has started in earnest and it has been dreary and soggy for quite some time. Now we are headed home again. While we are not looking forward to the long flights, we can’t wait to see everyone once we arrive. If we miss you this time, please know that you are in our thoughts. We hope this update finds you all well and enjoying the rest of the summer. Until next time, take care!

Fun Photos

Happy Hong Kong

Namaste family and friends! We are back in India after our wonderful trip to Hong Kong. Here is an abbreviated play-by-play of our activities. We set off Friday afternoon on the long journey to Mumbai with our good friends, Andy and Emma and their kids Eric and Mycha. Our flight left at 12:30am and arrived in Hong Kong around 8:00am Saturday morning, which is 5:30am in India. After checking in and having a nice lunch, we took a rare but much needed family nap before partaking in the playground and the pool. The kids both really loved the hot tub and the water slide. We spent Sunday at Hong Kong Disneyland. The Cinderella Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Hatter Tea Cups, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters were among the favorite rides. On Monday we took a cable car to Ngong Ping Village to see the Tian Tan Buddha, a bronze statue that symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. The views were spectacular and the walk up the hill was great exercise. My trainer would have been impressed. We went back to the park on Tuesday and enjoyed the Jungle River Cruise, Tarzan’s Tree House, the Festival of the Lion King, Mickey’s Waterworks Parade and It’s a Small World. Wednesday started with a workshop on how to draw Disney characters and a dip in the pool. We then went into downtown Hong Kong for a ferry boat ride and some shopping. We ate dinner at a revolving restaurant, which was stunning given our surroundings. After all of that fun, Chris and I took the kids to the Temple Street Night Market where a wide variety of goods are offered at extremely low prices, if you are willing to bargain. We returned back to the hotel after midnight, exhausted but excited about our purchases. After sleeping late on Thursday, we spent the day at the park again, while Andy and Emma took their kids to a water theme park. Our big accomplishment that day was a quick photo of Anna and Mickey Mouse, being that both of our kids are terrified of masked characters of any kind. On Friday Chris and Max went shopping while Anna and I enjoyed the park again with our friends. We stayed late to enjoy the fireworks display. It was amazing! We did some last minute shopping on Saturday morning and left midday to catch our flight back to Mumbai. Overall, this was a magical trip. We loved Hong Kong Disneyland; it is just the right size for our kids. Anna’s favorite ride was Space Mountain, which she and Chris must have gone on at least twenty times. Max loved Autopia, where he got to drive “like Kiran” (our driver). We loved Hong Kong for its beauty, its clean, unobstructed sidewalks, its energy, and its infrastructure. It was difficult to come back, as it is after any vacation. Anna started kindergarten at a new school the Monday after we returned. So far there are three kids in her class and she loves it. She even gets to ride the bus (small van) home, which she’s wanted to do for some time. Max is very jealous, but enjoying the alone time with Mom every day. Next up is a trip to the Quad Cities to renew visas. We leave on July 31st and return August 18th. It’s our shortest trip home so far, so wish us luck. Hope to hear from you soon. Take care!

A Few Photos